The 21st annual ITWeb Security Summit is an opportunity for business leaders to hear from experts about how to build resilience amid AI-driven attacks, the skills shortage and geopolitical uncertainty.
ITWeb has revealed that its 21st annual Security Summit, to be held in mid-2026, will be based on the theme: ‘Redefining security in the face of AI-driven attacks, fragile supply chains and a global skills gap’.
Lisa Lawlor, events director at ITWeb, says while AI and its impact on cyber security dominated discussions at this year’s Security Summit, the 2026 event will evolve the conversation, further unpacking the theme as well as highlighting several issues that are foremost on the minds of business leaders. These issues include fragile global supply chains, geopolitical uncertainty, economic hardship and a worldwide cyber security skills shortage.
“The emphasis is on building real resilience,” says Lawlor. “We know that AI has added a significant new dimension to security, both in defence and in attack. We also know that increasingly sophisticated attacks continue to disrupt supply chains, and the situation is only exacerbated by geopolitical uncertainty, war hotspots and a shortage of highly sought-after cyber security skills. These factors have a direct impact on cyber security strategy and the approach that businesses should follow.”
The ITWeb Security Summit 2026 is about redefining security and gives South African and African IT and cyber security decision-makers the opportunity to hear from a wealth of experts, researchers and practitioners about what works, what doesn’t and why.
The Security Summit, widely regarded as the definitive event for Africa’s information security professionals, will take place in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
The conference and exhibition, part of the Johannesburg leg of the summit, will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre, and will run on 2 and 3 June, while workshops will take place on 4 June.
In 2025, Security Summit Johannesburg featured over 80 speakers, including seven international keynotes, as well as senior representatives from private and public sector organisations.
2025 marked the event’s 20th anniversary and, according to Lawlor, nearly 2 000 attendees, with 1 500 in Johannesburg, were treated to thought-provoking insights, tips on building resilient cyber strategies, cutting-edge demonstrations and practical advice for their organisations.
The agenda of the Johannesburg event, themed: ‘Ensuring cyber resilience in the AI era’, included two half-day workshops, an exhibition area with over 70 of SA’s leading security providers and solutions, as well as the ITWeb Security Summit 2025 Hackathon.
For more information on sponsorship opportunities at ITWeb Security Summit 2026, contact Debbie Visser, debbiev@itweb.co.za, or to pre-register your attendance and benefit from early-bird special pricing, contact Lindiwe Sibeko, lindiwe@itweb.co.za.
